Situated in Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand, this lesser-known breathtaking trail is a verdant expanse of meadows, offering a spectacular view of prominent mountain ranges including the Bandarpunch and Kalanag range, the Gangotri range, Srikanth, Jaonli ranges, etc.
With lush green meadows, dense flora and fauna, fresh air and beautiful rhododendron flowers – this is the most beautiful meadow of India.
In winter, these meadows (grassland) turn into a beautiful endless white carpet (snow). Majestic view of snow-capped mountains, animals grazing on the hillside, cool breeze touching your face, a bunch of friends and a cup of coffee/ tea – What more can you expect of this life.
In the months of April and May, nature adorns these meadows with white, yellow and violet flowers.
“Experiencing such places, how can one not be a storyteller?”
Relatively easy route with some steep ascents – it’s considered a beginner’s trek. Walk at your own pace, taking breaks in between – this walk is worth remembering for a lifetime.
If your physical stamina doesn’t allow you much, you can reach Barnala Tal (base camp, 3 km) and relax at this beautiful location gazing at the mountains, meadows and doing absolutely nothing.
Just remember –
“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine it’s lethal”
Paulo Coelho
And get ready for this beautiful and peaceful adventure.
Table of Contents
Things to know before you plan for this trek
Location – Garhwal Himalayas
Altitude – 11, 181 ft
Grade – Easy
Total Distance – 18 km (from Barsu Village, up and down total)
Duration – 2-3 Days
Best time to visit
If you want to enjoy the view of green meadows then May to July and September to Mid October is the time to visit. For snow trek, visit from December to February.
We visited in Last week of May.
A permit is required from Forest Department
If you are booking this trek through some agency, they will arrange the permits. An identity card is required to apply for the permit.
If you are planning to do this trek without any guide, you have to file permit from Uttarkashi Forest Department a day prior to the trek.
Day wise description
Day 1 : Arrival in Dehradun, transfer to Barsu Village and trek up to the base camp
We took an overnight train from Delhi to Dehradun (Nandadevi express, 5.5 – 6 hours)
We booked the trek with The Great Next and they arranged our van transfers from and to Dehradun, trek guide, camps, sleeping bags and food (after reaching the base camp).
There are no permanent tents/ accommodation and food options at Dayara Bugyal, so it’s suggested to book the trek beforehand.
Journey to Barsu Village
It’s 7-8 hours journey from Dehradun up to Barsu Village. It’s a long journey (can be frustrating for those with mountain sickness) so sleep or keep yourself engaged with something. But the destination is totally worth it.
Most of the way to Barsu Village is along the Bhagirathi river and by the time you reach Barsu village, the view throughout the trail spell bounds you.
For mountain sickness, we bought a fruit tasting sweet and sour from a roadside seller as suggested by our trek leader.
We had lunch at Doon view valley restaurant which was on the way.
Exhausted due to the journey up to Barsu village, the enthralling view of the location surrounded by mountains freshened up us.
Reaching the Base Camp
The base camp of Dayara Bugyal trek is at Barnala Tal which is around 3 km from Barsu Village.
The trek starts through the fields and then through dense forest, on an amazing trail surrounded by oak trees and finally leads to meadows.
There are 2 freshwater streams in the trail where you cannot resist yourself from dipping your feet inside the cold water and relaxing for some time.
It got completely dark until we reached our base camps (3 hours). Our trekking guides found a suitable place and prepared our camps (permanent camps are not allowed here).
As it got late, we ate packaged food and some fruits for the dinner inside a stone hut near to our camps
Under the open sky and sparkling stars, with a light feeling, in the hope of beautiful dawn ahead and listening to the soothing sound of cattle bell, we felt asleep.
Though we were supposed to start the trek around 4 p.m., we got delayed and started the trek around 6:00 PM and it was dark by the time we reached base camp (around 9:30 PM). Generally, it is advised to avoid trekking in dark because of the visibility and also you may divert from the route. But filled with zest and zeal, we undertook some part of the trek in dark under the supervision of 2 trekking guides, in a group of 8 with each one carrying his/her own baggage and torch.
Day 2 : Sight of beautiful meadows at Barnala Tal and trek up to Dayara Bugyal
We woke up to the splendid view of mountains, lush green valley, a herd of cattle grazing over sprawling grasslands and some stone huts around. These stone huts are dwellings of herders who during summers stay here for 2-3 months so that their livestock (cows and horses) can graze in these grasslands.
They offered us tea. Our camps were not exactly at Barnala Tal (10 minutes walk) as camping is not allowed there since 2018.
The trek from the base camp up to Barnala Tal is steep. While trekking, I stopped to catch my breath. Just as I looked behind, a stroke of gentle cool breeze touched my face and I was enchanted with the view of snow-capped mountains.
Barnala Tal is a picturesque location surrounded by oak trees, sprawling grasslands, Nagraj temple, and mountains views. We sat there for hours enjoying the view of mountains and animals grazing by the hillside.
The place is a paradise for photographers.
Food was arranged by The Great Next. This simple food felt heavenly at this beautiful location.
Trek to Dayara Bugyal
Immersed in the beauty of the place, we let our eyes pamper themselves with the amazing view and started the trek further around 2 PM. Dayara Bugyal is 6 km from Barnala Tal and as we headed further, meadows were again replaced by a trail amidst trees and covered with dry yellow leaves.
Rambling through dense forest, enjoying the chirping of birds and beautiful views, we continued the trek.
Keep yourself hydrated at regular intervals and carry energy bars, biscuits, chocolates or other snacks to maintain your energy level.
Just a few minutes prior to the top, there is a human settlement where you can have tea, coffee, Maggie and other snacks.
Being super excited to reach the top, we continued and reached Dayara Bugyal in 2.5 hours.
On reaching the top, the spectacular view made us gaze at it with mouth agape – extended meadows resembling a tabletop fenced by a dense forest of maple and oak trees on one side and snow-capped mountain peaks on the other.
Relax here, steal some lone moments and celebrate.
6 km from here, ‘Bakariya’ top is there. We badly wanted to go there but the weather didn’t permit and we had to start our journey back.
We halted at the settlement to have tea/coffee.
Hailstorm, dinner and night at base camps
When we were about to reach Barnala top, hailstorm started. We saved ourselves from getting wet under a shelter at Barnala Top.
We comforted ourselves with pakoras and soup prepared by our amazing cook at base camp.
At night, we sat under sparkling stars and enjoyed dinner while recalling some happy moments of the day and also some positive things about one another. We were laughing our hearts out when it started drizzling.
It continued to rain till midnight but we were comfortable in our camps.
Day 3: A beautiful morning at Barnala Tal and trek downhill
Barnala Tal has such a beauty that even after the day’s exertion, we woke up early to catch the view of scenic sunrise. And trust me it is worth it. The view of golden sun rays scattering on snow-capped peaks is so relaxing and peaceful.
Stand by the lake, and you will see the reflections of everything around.
After breakfast, we started trekking downhill.
Since we had missed the beautiful views while trekking uphill (because we started in the late evening) we were super excited for the down trek to grab those amazing views.
Journey back to Delhi
The great next arranged for our transfer from Barsu to Dehradun (9 hours) and we had our dinner on the way.
We caught our overnight train from Dehradun to Delhi.
Things to keep in mind
– Carry warm clothes as it gets cold at night.
– Keep yourself hydrated
– To avoid mosquito bites, cover the full body.
– Don’t miss sunrise at Barnala Tal
– If you think your stamina is not enough to walk 9 km, you can reach up to Barnala Tal and spend some quality time there.
– Finally, as a responsible traveler, leave nothing but footprints behind.
If you are looking for a location that’s not crowded at all and complete nature, you must consider this location.
We would love to know your experience as well. Do Share!!!